Drying apparatus.



E. J. M. MARTINI.

DRYING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 5.191s.

Lm5,%1. Patented Feb.13,'1917.

EDOU'ABD JEAN MARCEL MARTINI, 0F PARIS; FRANCE.

:onrme APPARATUS.

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- Specification of Letters latent.

Application filed July 5, 1918. Serial No. 77?,61.

To all whom it may concern:

, Be it known that I, EDOUARD J EAN MARCEL -MART11 1I, of 2 Rue CharlesCazin, in the condensed.

With the apparatus thus arranged, it is necessary to create a continuouscirculation of the air and vapors by means of suitable devices, forinstance by means of pumps which necessitate a constant maintenance ofthe vacuum if this vacuum is necessary and do not allow to operate in aclosed aseptic medium.

The present invention has for its object an apparatus allowing to obtainthe rapid drying of solid materials and to operate this drying in aclosed aseptic medium.

This invention is characterized by a device allowing a continuouscirculation of the air and vapors, capable of being'selfmaintainedwithout the help of any pump or any other apparatus of this kind, and ina closed aseptic medium.

In this drying apparatus, the air and vapors heated in the digester tendto rise and to flow into the cooling apparatus in which they arecondensed.

The cooled air then falls back to the bottom of the cooling apparatusfrom which it returns to the digester.

' The present invention has also for obJect a form of hydraulic joint.

The invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanyingdrawing in which:

Figure 1 shows in longitudinal vertical section the apparatus in itsentirety.

Fig. 2 shows apart and at a greater scale the hydraulic joint.

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view showing means for creating the vacuum inthe apparatus, the View also showing means for maintaining the lowtemperature in the cooling apparatus.

Fig. i is a cross-section of the digester.'

In the drawing, the drying apparatus forming the subject-matter of thepresent invention comprises a digester (2 provided with a double casing12 forming an annular chamber din-which circulates hot water.

This Water enters the chamber 0 through a conduit (2 and issues fromsaid chamber through another conduit e. O

The digester a is closed by a cover fprovidecl with a joint of specialarrangement which will be described hereafter.

Within the digester are arranged hurdles or screens 1 and metal plates2forming movable walls allowing to divide it into compartments. Theseplates are covered with a coating appropriate to increase their emis--.sive power, the said plates by radiation promoting the heating of thesubstances to be dried. These substances can be suspended on suitablyarranged rods or bars 3.

The arrangement of the screen 1, plates 2 and bars 3 may be as shown inFig. 4, the

screen being arranged horizontally at the center of the digesterandsupported at its sidesand the plates 2 being arranged transversely ofthe digester and suspended at their upper ends from the rods 3.

The latter communicates through two branches 9 and h With a coolingapparatus i comprising a bundle of tubes j secured on 7 two metal plates9' and i and two chambers 70 and k are situated between these plates andthe ends of the cooling apparatus. The branches 9 and it openrespectively at the upper part and at the lower part of the digesterinto the space inclosing'the tubes y. The cooling liquid, such as brine,enters the chamber 70 through a conduit-pipe Z, passes through tubes 7',enters into the chamber I: and issues from the apparatus through a pipem.

. A branch n arranged on the side of the cooling apparatus andcommunicating with the space between the plates j and 9' allows thecreation of a relative vacuum in the Patented nee. re, rear.

apparatus. The condensed liquid flows out the products to be dried areplaced in the closed digester, they have been exteriorly sterilized, ifnecessary, as well as the ambient air, by a suitable volatile antisepticcurrent, for instance sulfurous acid, that is afterward replaced by airor a sterile gas. The

inlet of this air or gas is then cut ofl and.

vacuum is created at the same time as the digester or drying chamber ais heated. It is to be understood that after the relative vacuum iscreated in the digester the pump w is cut oli from the digester by thevalve 00.

Under the. influence of the heat and of thevacuum,'an evaporation of theliquids contained in the materials to be dried is produced, the vaporsthus produced pass through the branch 9, enter the cooling apparatus andare condensed therein, said apparatus being at a temperature lower than0. At the same time the antiseptic is eliminated. v

The-air or gas charged With these vapors dries, and, through the branchit passes back through the drying chamber a. This current of dry air,coming into contact with the materials to be dried, frees them fromtheir moisture and is again sucked by the cooling apparatus and so on.

A real circulation of the air is thus obtained, this air charged withvapors pass ing in the cooling apparatus and coming back dry in thedigester where it accelerates the evaporation.

The drying of the materials, by means of the present apparatus, istherefore obtained by the combined action of the heat and of the currentof dry air, which allows of drying rapidly and in an aseptic manner saidmaterials.

As mentioned above, the cover f of the digester is provided with ahydraulic joint insuring an absolutely tight closure. This form of jointis illustrated in detail in Fig. 2.

As shown in this figure, the digester a presents at its end a reinforcedpart a comprising a circular groove 0 of small depth, at the bottom ofwhich is placed a rubber washer The outer edge of this part a isprovided with a circular recess .9 partly covered ,by a ledge a integralwith the part a On the other hand, the cover 7 comprises internally twoconcentric circular flanges 9" and 8 one of which is adapted to enterthe grooveo and the other comes opposite the ledge a so asto constitutethe extension of the latter.

At any point of the periphery of the cover is arranged a conduit 6opening opposite the recess 9.

When the cover f is closed and held by means of a rocking. screw or ofany other suitable device, the flange r presses on the elastic washer p.A rubber ring to of suitable strength is then placed on the jointexisting between the ledge a and the flange s. A- liquid is then sent,through the conduit t, into the space formed by the recess q and limitedby the parts a and s and when this capacity is entirely filled, there isobtained a hydraulic joint absolutely preventing any rentrance or anyissue of the air in the apparatus.

The above arrangements are only given by way of example, the forms,sizesafid detail devices may be varied according to circumstanceswithout modifying the principle of the invention.

Claims: 1

1. In a drying apparatus, a heated digester, a cooling apparatusconnected .to said digester, means for creating vacuum in the 'WhOle ofthe digester and of the cooling apparatus, and means for maintaining thecooling apparatus at a temperature inferior to 0 C.

2..In a dryingvapparatus, a heated dii gester, a cooling apparatusconnected to said digester by two very short branches, one at the upperpart, the other at the lower part of the digester and of the coolingapparatus, whereby a continuous circulation of the mixture of air andvapors is produced, the heated mixture issuing by itself from thedigester through the upper branch and flowing into the coolingapparatus, and the air cooledand freed from the vapors by the coolingapparatus returning to the digester through the lower branch, means formaintaining the cooling apparatus at a temperature inferior to 0 C., andmeans for creating vacuum in the whole of the digester and of thecooling apparatus.

3. In a drying apparatus, a heated digester, a cooling apparatusconnected to said digester, and metal plates in the digester dividingthe digester into compartments, the said lates having aspecial coatingfor promoting the radiation.

The foregoing specification of my improved drying apparatus, signed byme this 23rd day of June 1913.

EDOUARD JEAN MARCEL MARTINI.

' Witnesses:

HANsoN G. Goxa, RENE Tnnuo'r.

